Oct 22, 2007

Trick-or-treating alternatives for babies and toddlers

I don't see the point in taking my kids door-to-door on Halloween. We just don't live on a street where there are a lot of families, let alone where everyone is friendly and the kids all play together. Plus, it's not like our kids can walk all that far, being so little. But it's fun to dress the kids up, so we've come up with some ways to enjoy Halloween all the same:
  • As I've mentioned before, we celebrate each year with a Halloween party with my mom's group. It's a pot-luck, which makes it easier on the host, and a chance for us moms (and dads) to catch up.
  • Our local shopping mall has a trick-or-treat event in the early evening on Halloween. We took Alex last year and plan to take him back this year, since this gives his grandparents a chance to see him in action. I recommend going early, since some of the stores ran out of supplies within the first half-hour. The great thing about this is that there are stores that give out things beside candy - last year, the Apple store gave out key chains.
  • Reverse trick-or-treating. I got this idea from my friend Shanna, who took her son to her husband's office and handed out candy. It was a meet-and-greet for her husband's co-workers, some of whom had only heard about their son but not seen him. This would be especially wonderful to do if you know of a hospital or retirement home that would welcome your child.
  • Go to a friend's house. We did this for Alex's first Halloween, since a good friend lives on a street with lots of families. This is similar to the Halloween party idea, but on a smaller scale, and you (or your child) will be handing out candy to older trick-or-treaters.
Do you have any other suggestions?

4 comments:

Jenn @ Frugal Upstate said...

My church is right in town where the average house gets about 300 trick or treaters. The church has the youth group hand out candy at the door, and opens our bathrooms for public use and our church hall as a resting spot for families (complete with coffee, cider and donuts). If my kids were still babies I would dress them in their costumes and take them down there to show them off and help the church at the same time.

Lori Harris said...

These are great ideas! Our son is two young to celebrate this year, but I really like the idea of going to the mall to trick or treat. It's easier than going door to door and probably much safer.

Anonymous said...

Great tips, we typically take our little one to a neighborhood where we know many of the folks.

ChiefFamilyOfficer said...

Thanks, everybody!

Jenn, the church idea is a great one - it reminded me that my friend's church does trick-or-treating in the parking lot: the kids go from car to car and the adults dole out candy from their trunks.